Vending machine ban due

19th January 2012

From 1 March, cigarettes will no longer be sold in vending machines in Northern Ireland.

MLAs agreed the move, which would bring Northern Ireland into line with the rest of the UK, during a debate in the assembly. The ban is being introduced to drive down the number of children and young people who smoke by limiting their unsupervised access to the machines. Figures for Northern Ireland suggest that 14% of smokers are aged between 11 and 16 with cigarette vending machines a usual source of tobacco.